Greek Mythology
by DORK DOG
Summary: Just an old school report I had about Greek Mythology. Not very interesting, but pretty useful for people that don't know much on the topic.Rated T to be safe. Enjoy!


**This is just a little report I had to do for school, and thought I could post it on here. It's not incredibly interesting, but please tell me what you think!**

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Greek Mythology

Long ago, an ancient culture, known as the Greeks, worshiped a pantheon of gods and goddesses. They built temples and cities which were dedicated to their deities. Their whole lives were centered around these gods and goddesses. For example, there was an Oracle at Delphi, to which people would travel, believing they would hear prophecies spoken by young women. The Oracle at Delphi still exists today, though it is now used as a tourist attraction. Though considered primitive ways of thinking today, the stories still provide great entertainment for children today.

Ancient Greeks believed that all of life sprung from Gaea, the earth, and Uranus, the sky. From these two elements came the Titans, huge gods who ruled the earth and all of mankind. The youngest of these Titans was named Cronus, and with the help of Gaea, his mother, overtook Uranus and ruled the world. But power eventually has its end. A prophecy was told that one of the children of Cronus would slay him and rule in his place. Cronus had five children with his wife, a Titaness named Rhea. Whenever she gave birth, he would seize the infant god and swallow it whole. However, on the sixth child, Rhea gave birth and hid the baby boy, instead giving Cronus a stone wrapped in cloth. She gave the child, whose name was Zeus, to some nymphs to raise. When he became older, Zeus gave his mother a tonic to make his father vomit up the other gods. Rhea had Cronus drink it, telling him that it would make him stronger. However, Cronus vomited up the other five gods, who instantly took sides with Zeus. During a great war between the gods and the Titans, Zeus took a sickle, the same one his father used to destroy Uranus, and cut Cronus into thousands of tiny pieces, scattering them into Tartaurus, the deepest pit in the underworld.

The Greeks had numerous gods they worshiped. The main set was the Olympian gods and goddesses. Their king was Zeus, and he ruled the world with his wife and sister, Hera. Zeus was the god of the sky and he used lightning bolts as weapons. Hera was the goddess of marriage and family, which was quite ironic, since Zeus was known for his numerous affairs with other women, whether goddess, mortal, or nature spirit. Their two brothers were Poseidon and Hades. After the Titan War, the three brothers cast lots to see who would rule the different kingdoms. Zeus got the sky, Poseidon got the sea, and Hades got the underworld, being the place where souls went when people died. Zeus and Hera had many children. Apollo and Artemis were two twins, both archers. Apollo was the radiant god of light, music, poetry, and in some stories, the sun. Artemis was the beautiful virgin goddess who patronized the hunt and sometimes the moon. Hermes was the playful god of messengers, roads, thieves, and criminals. Athena was another virgin who was the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. There was an infamous love triangle between Aphrodite, Ares, and Hephaestus. The story goes that Aphrodite, goddess of love, sprung out of the sea when Uranus fell into it. She was so beautiful that all the male gods wanted her as a wife. Not wanting to cause a huge fuss, Zeus gave her to Hephaestus, the ugly lame god of fire and forgery. Unsatisfied with the magnificent jewels he gave her, Aphrodite fell in love with Ares, the handsome god of war. This argument between the three of them lasted for ages. The last two gods of the Olympians were Dionysus and Demeter. Dionysus was the god of wine and pleasure, and the youngest in the pantheon. Demeter was the goddess of grain, though little is known about her.

The Greeks also had hundreds of minor gods who were the offspring of many Olympian gods. Persephone, the goddess of flowers, was the daughter of Demeter, and was kidnapped by Hades to be the queen of the Underworld. Her mother was so heartbroken by this that she refused to tend to any plants. Unhappy with her sudden change of attitude, Zeus brought Persephone back. Unfortunately, during the young goddess' stay in the Underworld, she ate five pomegranate seeds, and as a result she returned to Hades for five months of each year. Demeter became so heartbroken during these months that again she refused to tend to any crops. Another minor god was Pan, who was known as the goat god of nature. He was a son of Hermes, and his nymph mother thought he was so hideous that she ran in fear the first time she laid eyes on him. Hermes however was fascinated by the little god's antics. Eros, or Cupid as he is known in Latin, was the young god of love, whose mother was Aphrodite. He is best known for shooting arrows of love into his victims, making them go crazy over the next person, or animal, they see. The Fates were three ancient goddesses who decided how long one's life or the rule of a country would last. The Muses were nine daughters of Zeus who were goddesses of the arts, such as music, poetry, dance, etc. The Graces were the three goddesses of beauty, and adorned Aphrodite when she rose out of the sea. Strangely, the Greeks had a god of death, Thanatos, and a god _of _the dead, Hades.

The Greeks told many stories about the great heroes whom the gods favored. It would take a great novel to record each and every hero they honored. There was Achilles whose only weakness was his heel, hence the term "Achilles' heel." One of the few heroes whose tale has a happy ending is Perseus, who slew the gorgon Medusa and saved Princess Andromeda. Odysseus was the famous man who took twenty years to arrive back home, having encountered a journey riddled with danger. Hercules was the strongest human who walked the earth. His strength and robustness helped him through many trials and ordeals. Theseus defeated the might Minotaur with the help of Princess Ariadne, who he had to give up to Dionysus. The handsome Jason sailed on a voyage to find the Golden Fleece with the help of the beautiful goddess, Hera.

Today, most people have used words from Greek myths without even realizing it. The word titanic comes from the word Titan, and has been used to describe something very large and powerful thing, such as a ship that no one believed would sink. A word nearly everyone has used comes from the goat-god Pan; the word being panic. A Herculean effort is a great effort. There once was a king who offended the gods so much that, in the Underworld, he had to roll a boulder up a steep hill, and every time he was nearly to the top, the boulder would slide back down the hill. The man's name was Sisyphus, and a Sisyphean effort is something that causes much work for nothing. Another horrible punishment was given to a man named Tantalus. He fed his son to the gods, and in the afterlife, was given a deep hunger and thirst. Even though he stood under a tree of luscious fruit and was in a clear cool river, every time he reached up to pick the fruit it dangled just out of his reach. Every time he stooped down to drink water, the river dried up. Something that is tantalizing is something that looks or sounds great, yet is just out of reach. And finally, Atlas was the Titan who had to hold up the sky as a punishment. This may sound familiar, because an Atlas is a book of maps.

Though they worshiped pagan gods, the Greeks were very advanced people for their time. They had many more gods and countless stories which have survived through the ages. By reading these myths, we can learn about their culture. We can also learn a lot about their beliefs. This is very important to historians who want to study this time period.


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